Abstract

Poly (vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene)-PVDF-TrFE and poly{[N, N'bis(2-octyldodecyl)-naphthalene-1,4,5,8-bis(dicarboximide)-2,6-diyl]-alt-5,5'-(2,2'-bithiophene)}-P(NDI2OD-T2) are electroactive polymers that are compatible with flexible electronics. PVDF-TrFE is a ferroelectric copolymer and P(NDI2OD-T2) is a n-type semiconducting polymer. Devices based on these polymers are typically fabricated using thin films. Using the electrospinning technique we have successfully fabricated for the first time composite fibers of these polymers. The solutions used in the preparation of composite fibers consisted of a mixture of PVDF-TrFE dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at various concentrations, and P(NDI2OD-T2) dissolved in dichlorobenzene in a 2wt% concentration. UV/Vis spectroscopy showed that the P(NDI2OD-T2) was uniformly incorporated into the PVDF-TrFE solution with no polymer segregation. The presence of semiconducting [P(NDI2OD-T2)] increased the quantity of PVDF-TrFE fibers as seen using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). SEM images of the composite fibers also show that P(NDI2OD-T2) reduces the beading effect on the fibers making them good candidates for use in devices. The ability to produce these fibers opens up the possibility of fabricating miniaturized low power consumption ferroelectric field effect transistors that possess the memory effect of PVDF-TrFE and the semiconducting property of P(NDI2OD-T2).